Australians took advantage of the Black Friday sales, snagging a bargain or two in the lead up to Christmas.

Online spending on clothing as well as purchases in department and electronics stores soared by more than 100 per cent over the four-day period between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in comparison to the average amount spent in the three weeks prior, data from Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s credit and debit card customers has revealed.

On Black Friday, online spending on clothing and footwear jumped 213 per cent when compared to the prior three weeks. Meanwhile, online spending at department and electronics stores was up 267 per cent on the same day.

While not as popular as Black Friday, online sales also spiked on Cyber Monday, with spending on clothing and footwear increasing by 105 per cent and department and electronics stores by 83 per cent in comparison.

Across the four day period from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, online spending on clothing and footwear was up a total of 140 per cent, while online purchases at department and electronics stores was up 105 per cent.

While the amount spent purchasing retail goods online over the 2020 Black Friday weekend was significantly higher than the average amount spent over the prior three weeks, it didn’t eclipse the increase in spending seen in 2019. In 2019, online spending on retail goods was up 120 per cent over the Black Friday four-day weekend, whereas in 2020 online retail goods uplift was 91 per cent over the weekend.

That said, the surge in spending over the Black Friday weekend in 2020 was higher than 2018, when the total amount spent buying retails goods online increased by 76 per cent. 

Head of Retail and Diversified Industries in CBA’s Business Banking division, Jerry Macey, said that the significant uptick in online spending over the four-day period highlights just how keen Australians are to take advantage of the pre-Christmas discounting being offered by retailers.

“The strong growth in the amount spent buying clothing and footwear online is very reflective of the current climate. As many of the states gradually come out of lockdown and we head into the summer season, Australians are keen to restock and renew their wardrobes,” he said. 

“Businesses are acutely aware of the growing popularity of the Black Friday to Cyber Monday period, and are increasingly using this time as an opportunity to attract new customers, unload some of their inventory, and head into the end of the year with positive momentum,” he said.

“Many of our retail business customers significantly grew online sales in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, they were already well set-up and prepared for the 2020 Black Friday to Cyber Monday sales.”

CommBank is dedicated to supporting Australian retailers to achieve their vision. For more information on how we can help your business visit commbank.com.au/retailinsights or email us at insights@cba.com.au.

_{Disclaimer: This article is produced by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 123 123 124 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 234945 (“the Bank”) and is based on information available at the time of publishing. The information provided has been prepared solely for informational purposes. The statistics presented only take into account the Bank’s internal credit and debit card data and therefore may not reflect all trends in the market. All customer data used or represented in this article is anonymous and aggregated before analysis and is used and disclosed in accordance with the Bank’s Privacy Policy Statement. While care has been taken to ensure that the information in this article is accurate and any opinions, conclusions or recommendations are reasonably held at the time of compilation, the Bank makes no representation or warranty as to accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information.}